@HuetSaves: "Okay, with Souray gone, obviously the Habs' powerplay needs to find
someone to fill that hole.  Regardless of whether the team will
improve at even strength, or depend on having the league's #1 PP to
win games like they did last year...the fact remains you need to have
a good PP in today's NHL if you're going to be a playoff team.  So,
who do you think would do the best job in Souray's spot?  My thought
is that Souray's main role on the PP last year was to be the bomb.  He
either took the shot, or made the opposition worry he'd take the
shot...both tactics which turned out to be pretty effective.  He was
also pretty good at keeping the puck in the zone.  And not so good if
the puck got by him and he ended up having to take dumb penalties when
he couldn't catch the opposing player who'd beat him to it.  So the
main thing the team's powerplay is missing right now is someone to
fill the role of "the bomb."  I think Carbo should fill the slot based
on that.  Whoever clocks the hardest, most accurate slapper in camp,
whether it's Hamrlik, Streit, Kovalev or Kostitsyn, should be the new
PP guy.  And with the rest of the first PP unit intact, a bomb even
close to Souray's should keep the Habs in the higher echelon of
special teams.
J.T."
    @earl_the_habs_fan: "<quote>
There is no replacement for Souray's threat.   The key adjustment for
Montreal will be to reduce their PK/PP ratio,  which was one of the
worst in the league last year. They needed a great PP just to overcome
their propensity to find their own way into the penalty box.
The key word for this year will be "discipline"."
    @rojokenl: ""J.T." <email_address> wrote in message 
news:<email_address>
<quote>
Instead of focusing so much on the shot from the point, I think you'll see 
more shooting from the half-boards, the slot, and the cross-crease play, 
which was how Ryder potted many of his PP goals.  I think initially, it will 
be Kovalev, Koivu and Ryder on the top PP unit, with Higgins, Plekanec and 
Latendresse possibly on the second unit.  You'll probably have Markov and 
Hamrlik paired together, with Streit and either Brisebois or Bouillon 
teamed.  Markov will provide an added weapon because he likes to sneak in 
from the point behind the penalty killers, and he has the wheels to recover 
if the play goes the other way.  I think Carbo will exploit that as much as 
possible. "
    @barberphoto411: "<quote>
Montreal has proven a team can have one of the best PP units and win
nothing. Looking at the power play how much potential for growth
really exists? Is it reasonable to expect that the PP unit will
continue to cover for anemic 5 on 5 offence. Teams still play the
majority of the game 5 on 5, that aspect of the game will be the area
that has the best potential for growth. Gains made by all 4 lines
during 5 on 5 play could produce a greater gain then just looking for
10 to 15 more goals out of the PP unit, or just having the PP unit
match last years production"
    @gerry14: "Well, like others I guess I don't worry all that much about the PP...
so maybe we won't challenge for #1 anymore.  If we're middle of the
pack instead, well, there are still good teams out there who get by
with that.  There are so many other areas that we can improve in that
a fall back to earth on the PP shouldn't represent much of a disaster
for us.
Of course, if we don't get improvement in some of those other areas
*and* lose the PP crutch too... well... so anyway, that's probably why
some "expert observers" don't mind predicting a 13th place finish for
us.
I'd presume the default plan would be to try Markov and Hamrlik on the
points.  Markov had a bit of notoriety for his scoring more than his
set-up work when he first came over to us.  I don't know if it's
entirely just a confidence issue or one of deference or whatever, but
I think if he could be coaxed into shooting more, he'd do something
good back there.  Hamrlik is probably ok.
I'm less sure about the idea of Kovalev on the point.  He has
developed a lot of trouble hitting the net at this point in his
career... and I'm not sure that the number of times he slickly walks
around a pressing penalty killer will do much to offset the number of
times a pressing penalty killer slickly walks around him.
I would presume a Markov-Hamrlik first-pairing perhaps followed up by
something featuring Brisebois, maybe with Bouillon, maybe with Streit
coming in, would be the default plan.
Kostitsyn may have some experience on the point too, but I think there
are practical limits to what we might want to expect from him in his
first full year.
l8r,
Gerry"
    @barberphoto411: "<quote>
Could they develop a power play system that doesn`t just rely on a
point shot to be successfull. To add more threats from other areas of
the ice, to make the PP unit harder to stop? Fustrating to watch the
team cycle the puck around the perimeter, and ending an unsuccessfull
power play without hardly a shot on goal. Try driving to the net from
the slot more then just parking someone behind the net."
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